Deep Sea Fishing
|season = 6 |number = 7 |overall = 160 |airdate = November 19, 1956 |production = tt0819058 |imdb = tt0819058 |writer = Bob Carroll, Jr. Madelyn Martin Bob Schiller Bob Weiskopf |director = James V. Kern |previous = "Off to Florida" |next = "Desert Island" |image = |imagewidth = 300px}} http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/TunaTrouble.jpg http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/CaughtFishRicky.jpg Deep Sea Fishing was the 160th overall episode of I Love Lucy, also the 7th episode of season 6, the final season of the series. The episode was directed by James V. Kern, originally aired on CBS-TV on November 19, 1956. Synopsis On a deep-sea fishing trip, the boys bet the girls that they'll catch bigger fish. To win the bet, the men and the women each buy large tunas to pass off as their catch...the only problem is hiding the fish from their spouses. Plot summary Lucy and Ethel have spent too much on Florida clothes, and they need a way to get fast money. They say that they want to go deep-sea fishing with their husbands, and they bet their husbands $150 that they can catch a bigger fish. Neither team wants to lose the bet, so the husbands and the wives each secretly buy a 100-pound tuna to use for the winning "caught" fish. There's nowhere else to store the fish but in the hotel room bathtubs, so both sides have to continually move the fish back and forth between the Ricardos' room and the Mertzes' room. Finally, the husbands and wives catch each other when they both are moving the fish between rooms and bump into each other in the hallway. On the real fishing trip, the women end up winning the bet, because Lucy catches Ricky on her line, and Ricky had a fish inside his shirt. Trivia *The tuna that were used were real fish. Originally, fake fish were going to be used so there wouldn't be a smelly mess, but the actors realized that they couldn't show the comedy or situation properly without using real fish. The tuna came from the famous Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, and they were sent to LA in ice-packed child-sized coffins! *Also, the tuna were bleeding profusely after they were delivered. To stop the bleeding, it is rumored that the prop department stuffed the insides of the tuna with Kotex sanitary napkins before filming! *The reason that there's no room in the hotel's refrigerator is that it's packed full with 2000 ice cream molds made in the form of a shriner's hat needed for a convention. *The gang is staying at the posh Eden Roc Hotel. *This episode had to have been inspired by Desi Arnaz's real-life passion for fishing. He loved to fish at his place in Del Mar. *The women make the bet worth $150, in order to pay for all their beach clothes. Lucy needs $68 for clothes, and Ethel needs $72, for a total of $140. So, they pick $150 for an even number, and the winners of the bet would get $75 a piece. *Ethe spends $4 more on clothes than Lucy, which is a switch, considering she usually buys very little while shopping to prevent Fred's anger! *The unrealistic part of this episode is that nobody ever mentions how both hotel rooms ever reek of fish! Perhaps this was planned by both sides so each could avoid having to mention their own hidden tuna, but still, you'd think it would have come up in conversation sometime. Starring *Lucille Ball ... as Lucy Ricardo *Desi Arnaz ... as Ricky Ricardo *Vivian Vance ... as Ethel Mertz *William Frawley ... as Fred Mertz Guest Starring *Richard Keith ... as Little Ricky *Jim Hayward ... as Boat Captain Category:Season 6 Episodes Category:Episodes